A/N: Hello again! Sorry this has taken so long to update, but I got into one hell of a major mental block with it. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to get passed it, which sucked. If anyone is still following this, I apologize deeply for the wait and thank you for waiting. I hope it's worth it. If it's kind of out of synch, please let me know, although it could be just because I've not wrote these characters for a long while. hopefully I should soon get back into the swing of things. As ever, constructive criticism and thoughts are always welcome! Xx

Disclaimer : I do Not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter 11

They arrived back at the Kaiba mansion nearing mid-day. Yukiko gazed up at the building she considered her home. From the front, it was impossible to tell there was anything out of the ordinary with it. Anyone looking from the outside would never believe a bomb had detonated in there the night before. Yukiko tore her eyes away from the place, not sure she could handle remembering the attack. As she gazed back into the safety of the car, her gaze met Mokuba's. The youngster looked unmistakeably excited.

"Cheer up, Yukiko! We'll be able to see Seto again!" Mokuba smiled encouragingly as the car came to a stop, barely ten meters away from the entrance. It would seem security was tighter than ever. Kenta was by the door within seconds. He opened it and Yukiko climbed out followed by Mokuba. Yukiko glanced down at herself, clutching the dress she was carrying closer to her, in a vague attempt to cover herself up. That morning, waking up at Yugi's had gone smoothly, but she wished she could have had a change of clothes other than the pyjama's Téa had lent her. It was October after all and the tiny shorts, high socks along with the crop top provided little to no protection from the weather. It had been either that or put the dress on again, which Yukiko hadn't really wanted to do.

"Miss Yukiko, let's get you inside before you freeze," Kenta spoke, rousing Yukiko from her thoughts. She nodded, only now realising her teeth were chattering and she was shivering. He ushered Yukiko and Mokuba into the house as quickly as possible. As they stepped inside, Yukiko felt a warmth wash over her as the tension in her body relaxed ever so slightly from the familiar surroundings. It filled her heart with bliss to be back home. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for Yugi and Joey looking after them. They had been so nice and so generous to let them stay, but nothing was quite like the comfort of being home. Yukiko wished Kaiba could have gone to them last night, but she understood. He had his duties to perform. It had only been that morning while herself, Mokuba, Kenta and the Gang ate breakfast in front of the TV they'd seen the news flash headline:

"Terrorist Attack at Kaiba Mansion!"

Yukiko had felt the cold dread wash over her upon seeing the words and watching the news report that came next. There had already been a press conference regarding the issue, where representatives of Kaiba Corp had spoken on behalf of Mr Kaiba. The incident being reported in such a cold and negligent way made the whole thing seem so much worse and even more real. Yukiko knew at that moment Kaiba would have so much work to get through, on top of his usual duties as CEO. She'd wondered then if he'd been taking care of himself and had a feeling she knew the answer to that question already.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed as soon as the front door closed. Without another word, the youngest Kaiba brother darted away into the house. Yukiko was desperate to see Kaiba, even though she'd had assurance from Kenta that he was okay. Of course Kenta had been in almost constant contact with his boss, but even so. Yukiko didn't want to allow herself to believe he really was okay until she saw him in the flesh. Yukiko inhaled determinedly. She walked forwards and draped her dress over the stairs banister. She quickly turned around and followed after Mokuba. The hall way looked cleaner than what she'd imagined, but then she supposed Kaiba had been here to ensure the mess and damages were dealt with as quickly as possible.

Yukiko walked down the familiar hall and pushed open the door. She stepped inside the dining hall with bated breath, remembering the last time he'd entered the room it had been a picture of pure elegance. Yukiko blinked. She wasn't sure she could believe her eyes. She would never of guessed it was possible, but the hole… the massive hole that had been blasted into the wall… it was practically gone. There was building equipment all around, some scaffolding holding the brick work in place and several workers walking back and forth along the damaged room, fixing it up. If she hadn't have known for certain there had been an explosion followed by a fire in here the night before, she wouldn't have believed it. As Yukiko let the door swing closed behind her a couple of the workers, two middle aged burly looking men, glanced around in her direction. They were sat at one of the tables that had escaped unscathed from the attack. Yukiko felt her face flush instantly, realising she wasn't exactly dressed appropriately for company. Around Yugi and the group wasn't so bad, she knew them, but this was very different.

"You can't be in here without head wear!" One of the men barked at her before biting into a sandwich. She examined the slightly wrinkled face with oddly friendly looking eyes. He was wearing a bright yellow hardhat, sandy coloured hair sticking out from beneath it.

"Erm… Sorry!" She called back apologising, Stepping backwards out of someone's way as they made to walk past her. She felt herself get looked up and down before meeting eyes with the man. He smiled at her and winked. Her face went bright red. She could feel the heat rise instantly to her cheeks.

"Do… do you know where… where… Kaiba… Is?" She called out to the man eating his sandwich, trying to get her red cheeks back under control.

"Office, I believe," He responded, smiling. Yukiko exhaled relieved.

"Thank you," She spoke, bowing her head in thanks. She turned around and almost ran from the room.

Yukiko breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed the stairs, intending to approach Kaiba's office. She was impressed all formalities seemed to have been taken care of so quickly. Wouldn't there have had to be evidence searched for? A police investigation with photographs taken and evidence collected? Had it really all been done so quickly that they were now allowed to pick up the pieces and put it back together again? Yukiko was still lost in a world of her own thoughts as she wandered along the upstairs corridor, heading towards the door at the end. When Yukiko reached it she could hear the clicking of a keyboard from within. For a moment, Yukiko had been afraid the builders had meant Kaiba Corp when they'd said office. Yukiko wondered whether Mokuba had seen his brother yet, as she hadn't seen him in the hall. Yukiko guessed he'd somehow looped back around without her seeing him. She reached the door and lifted her hand up to knock, her stomach twisting and knotting itself with nerves. She gulped, unsure of why she was feeling nervous. She was just about to rap her knuckles against the wood when a voice spoke from within.

"Come in," A stern and familiar tone spoke. Yukiko wasted no time in pushing the door open and stepping inside the office, a grin threatening to spread across her face. Yukiko closed the door behind her and faced the man she had been craving to see. Kaiba sat behind his desk, his fingers almost a blur as they sped across the surface of his Laptops keyboard. He seemed to come to the end of a sentence, typing the full stop with decisive precision before his eyes lifted from the laptop screen.

The first thing that caught Yukiko's attention was the fact he looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes and he just generally looked drained. Despite all that, he still managed to maintain his stern 'don't mess with me' look.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Yukiko asked before she could stop herself. Instantly she wished she hadn't as she saw his scowl increase ever so slightly. However as soon as it had appeared, it disappeared just as quickly. He shook his head slightly in answer as he sat back.

"I'm sorry," Yukiko whispered walking forwards and stopping before him.

"What for? It wasn't your fault," He spoke harshly, brushing her apology aside.

"I know, but it just… it shouldn't have happened… especially on your birthday, so… I'm sorry that if it had to happen… it did on that day," Yukiko spoke. Kaiba seemed to observe her for several moments before his expression relaxed and he smiled briefly. It was in that expression Yukiko could see just how tired the man was. She stood there, waiting, not sure what to say or how to react. Kaiba eventually moved, leaning forwards in his chair and running his fingers through his brown hair.

"Are you alright?" He asked, real concern in his tone. Yukiko hitched a smile on to her face within an instant.

"Me? Yeah! Of course, I'm fine." She exclaimed, over doing it slightly too much. She didn't want him to worry about her. He needed to look after himself and concerning himself with her wellbeing when she was completely unharmed wouldn't help. His eyebrow raised as he looked questioningly at Yukiko, clearly unconvinced.

"We were well looked after… I mean, we were just worried about you, more than anything. Joey even made us breakfast!" Yukiko responded to his expression brightly.

"Maybe I should get you both checked out by a doctor, if that idiot cooked for you," Kaiba replied his taunting back in a flash. Yukiko couldn't help but smile at this. Silence quickly fell between them as the enormity of the situation seemed to hit them.

"Did everyone make it out okay?" Yukiko eventually asked quietly, fearing the answer. She had seen people scattered around as they tried to leave last night, but she wanted to know the reality of it.

"There were no casualties," Kaiba sighed, rubbing his temple as if he was getting a headache.

"Oh, that's good," Yukiko exhaled, relieved no one had died.

"Yes, but there were injuries. A handful of people closer to the explosion were badly hurt." Kaiba muttered. Yukiko felt her heart thump painfully. She wasn't sure what to say. What could she say?

"There will more than likely be a lawsuit…" He continued, his voice trailing off wearily. Yukiko had never seen him look so worn out. This was really taking a toll on him. She wished there was something she could do. He'd never let something like this get to him before now.

"You need to sleep," Yukiko told him softly, walking around the side of the desk and holding her hand out to him.

"No, I need to catch whoever is risking my family's life. Then, I'll make them pay." He replied sternly, turning in his chair to face Yukiko. As he did, his eyes ran over her appearance. Feeling him do so, Yukiko felt the blood rush into her cheeks again. She swallowed her nerves and forced herself to keep calm. Kaiba needed to rest and if he wouldn't come willingly, she would just have to be creative. She felt herself growing uncomfortably hot as she contemplated trying to use seduction to make him rest… now she was certain her head would burst with the heat in her cheeks. She smiled, trying to relax, while both inwardly cursing and thanking Téa for the pyjamas.

"Okay…" She forced out calmly, smiling sweetly at him, "But, to accomplish all that, you need to be well rested" Yukiko spoke, moving closer to the desk and leaning on it. She felt embarrassed trying to act sexy, but forced herself on with the charade.

"Oh?" He spoke unconvinced sitting back in his chair, his elbows resting on the arms and his fingers clasped slightly.

"Yeah. Or you won't be up to your usual genius self," Yukiko spoke shuffling further onto the desk, so her feet left the floor. She sat back, intending to support herself on both arms, but forgetting she was sat close to the edge. As she went to lean back, one hand completely missed the surface of the desk. Her heart missed a beat as she slipped sideways, only just managing to keep balanced on at the last second and quickly trying to cover it up by crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees. Kaiba had clearly seen it all and hadn't missed her nearly falling. He was watching her strange antics with amusement, but didn't allow the humour to show on his face.

"I feel fine." He lied, eyeing her cautiously. He had a feeling he knew what her strange behaviour was about, but prolonging it was entertaining.

"No! No… you're not. You need to sleep…" Yukiko spoke, jumping back up off the desk, her heart still speeding from her almost fall. She put her hand on her waist and swung her hips side to side casually. Kaiba couldn't hold it in any longer. The smirk broke free across his face as he observed the girl who was clearly trying and failing to seduce him into doing what she wanted.

"Yukiko, what are you doing?" he asked holding in a chuckle. Yukiko felt her face grow hot, but refused to give in. she leaned against the wall behind the desk, trying to stand in a way that accentuated the curves of her body.

"I'm… looking out for you," She replied, stretching, trying to make it look as casual as possible.

"No. What are you doing?" He demanded more forcefully now. Yukiko felt the full heat hit her face as she realised she'd been rumbled. She stood up straight before him and avoided meeting his eyes.

"Were you trying to be suggestive?" he asked, his eyebrow raised as amusement displayed across his features. Yukiko toed the ground awkwardly.

"I just… want you to go sleep… I don't want you to make yourself ill…" Yukiko muttered, feeling like a naughty child caught in the act of breaking the rules.

Kaiba chuckled, a real smile splitting across his features as he observed the girl dressed in skimpy pyjamas.

"Trying to seduce your boss into doing what you want... I never knew you had it in you," He smirked, watching as her face flushed brighter.

"My… my boss?" She questioned stunned. She had never really thought of it like that, but he was right, he was her boss. Yukiko couldn't keep in her giggle.

"Sure thing, Boss," She chuckled, unable to help herself. Kaiba surveyed her sternly, but Yukiko couldn't keep a straight face.

"What? Now you're laughing at your boss?" He asked almost sceptically. Yukiko put her hand to her mouth as if she could keep in the laughing fit that seemed to have caught her. She sniggered, pushing her hand against her lips as if she could hold it in. Yukiko met his gaze and felt the fit of giggles erupt out of her. She spluttered and fell forwards, clutching her stomach.

"I'm so…sorry…" She breathed between laughs, "But you… your face… is so… serious…" She finally breathed, straightening up and wiping tears from her eyes. Kaiba forced the smile off his face, refusing to get drawn into her giggling fit.

"You're acting like a school girl," he observed harshly. Yukiko pouted at him playfully.

"And you're acting like a stubborn hothead," Yukiko replied, sitting back on the desk and staring at him. He glared at her, not sure exactly what to make of her. Yukiko felt her cheeks burning, but she was learning how to push it back when it was really necessary. She'd said it before and she would say it a million times over if she thought it would help, but Seto Kaiba really didn't know how to take care of himself. If she couldn't persuade him to do what she wanted by using her… erm… womanly techniques, she would have to resort to another tactic. Yukiko purposely rolled her eyes, taking in the simplistic furnishings of the room.

"Fine, if you won't sleep, then at least take a break," Yukiko almost pleaded with him as she hoped off the table.

"I'm busy." He responded determinedly as Yukiko walked round the side of the desk. He pushed his chair back under his desk, his fingers poised purposely over the keyboard. Yukiko bit her lip in frustration.

"Fine. I challenge you to a duel!" She exclaimed taking an offensive stance. That got Kaiba's attention. He immediately went rigid in his seat as all of his attention focused in on the girl stood before him. Yukiko rocked back and forth on her feet animatedly.

"Come on!" She goaded him, grinning.

"What?" He asked coldly,

"Come on, duel me!" Yukiko said daringly, her cheeks turning pink. When Kaiba didn't respond other than to stare at her in something which looked oddly like astonishment, Yukiko smiled.

"I've been here for months and we've still not fought it out," Yukiko reasoned, still almost hopping from one foot to the other.

"No." He replied flatly. Yukiko took a deep breath, realising what she was going to have to do.

"You scared?" She asked moving closer to the desk once more.

"Don't go there." He almost growled. If Yukiko didn't know him, he would have sounded scary.

"You worried you're going to lose your title?" Yukiko continued, forcing the feeling of nerves and embarrassment at been so brash away. Kaiba was staring at her, his expression unreadable.

"Come on, don't make me have to tell Joey you turned me down for a duel," Yukiko sighed, feigning disappointment. At the sound of Joey's name, the man actually growled. The noise made Yukiko want to giggle again, but she forced it back.

"Endo, I'm warning you," Kaiba warned in a deadly tone. Yukiko felt her cheeks flush.

"When have you used my last name?" Yukiko asked sticking her tongue out. When he didn't respond, Yukiko grinned at him.

"Alright then, Kaiba, what's it going to be?" She demanded, standing up straight and folding her arms, trying to mimic one of his famous stern looks. Kaiba stood up from his seat and walked around the desk, his movements precise and final. Yukiko supressed the urge to giggle nervously. Had she really just challenged a world champion? It was now she really began to regret her bold attitude. Was she insane? Her heart had picked up its pace instantly. She would be finished within three moves, if she was lucky. Maybe he'd go easy on her? One look at the angry expression on the man's face told her otherwise. He would make this as quick as possible so he could go back to his work undisturbed. Yukiko forced herself to stand her ground. If she could sprout of so easily, she would sure as hell make sure she followed through with it. She wasn't going to be a chicken. Kaiba came to a stop before her and she had to force herself to meet his eyes, a defiant expression across her face, trying to hide the worry she really felt. She really would have bitten off more than she could chew if he accepted her challenge.

"A duel, huh?" He asked, his expression fierce. Yukiko gulped then nodded, scowling.

"I think my spell casters could beat down your dragons any day." Yukiko continued not really understanding why she carried on goading him like that, but not been able to stop herself.

"If you weren't the girl I love, you'd be in so much trouble right now," He spoke the words in his usual tone. Yukiko felt the words wash over her and blushed furiously, but forced herself to remain calm.

"I know," She replied in barely a whisper. Kaiba moved closer to her still, until he was right in front of her, his hands resting on her hips as she had to strain her neck to look into his face. He could easily see the girl slipping out of her bold mood and straight back into the blushing fool he'd first known.

"You're not really looking to duel, are you?" He asked, smirking. Yukiko shook her head as her heart accelerated. He reached down and pressed his lips against hers.

Yukiko felt her breath catch at the tenderness of his touch. She couldn't believe this was the person who moments ago looked ready to battle it out till the end. She relaxed into him as her stomach seemed to do back flips. She wrapped her arms up around his neck, wanting to be as close as she could to him. She'd missed him so much. She'd been so worried, but it didn't matter now. They were back by each other's side and that's where she'd remain for as long as he wanted her.